dmiles2186 wrote:I also read that Lecavalier told them their presentation was one of the best, even though he chose Philly.

Yeah... you guys are awesome your presentation was top notch, the city is very player friendly but I'd rather play in Filthadelphia on a team far away from Stanley Cup aspirations. We must have knocked the presentation out of the damn park.

dmiles2186 wrote:I also read that Lecavalier told them their presentation was one of the best, even though he chose Philly.

Yeah... you guys are awesome your presentation was top notch, the city is very player friendly but I'd rather play in Filthadelphia on a team far away from Stanley Cup aspirations. We must have knocked the presentation out of the damn park.

Jaykay wrote:Can someone please explain me: What is the thing with the buy-outs? If a team buys out a player, does this free-up cap-space? If yes, does the bought-out players not count agains the cap-hit at all, or is there a minimum amount?

edit: ...and is it just me or is there an unusual amout of buy-outs this year?

My understanding as to why there are more of them this offseason is that with the lockout a team is afforded a certain number of "compliance buyouts" to come to terms with the new salary cap structure put in place by the lockout. In other words, each team has a certain number of guys they can ostensibly "buy out for free" and not have their cap hit still count against the team. Normally when a team buys a guy out they still get a cap hit (albeit a lower one) from the guy for the length of the contract. I think the Isles are still being hit with Yashin's IIRC.

That's why you saw Gomez, et al, getting bought out immediately after the lockout. It was a "free" buy out. This offseason you're just seeing more of the same.

You get two compliance buyouts, they still get the same amount of money, but it is paid out over DOUBLE the length of the contract (IE DiPietro will be paid until hes 75), BUT the player (LOL) has to clear waivers (unless they have a no movement clause), and you get two compliance buyouts ONLY, and you have to use them by the time the 2014-15 season starts (by the end of next off season). The big thing is that the compliance buyouts clear that salary from your cap hit, normally a percentage of the buyout still gets deducted from your salary cap each season remaining on the contract, but with the two compliance buyouts, there is ZERO cap hit to the bought out salaries.

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plug in reasonable numbers for Petro, Stewie and Allen and the payroll is around $62m -$63 M.

search for offense more likely to be through a deal than a signing.

I suspect we'll move a goalie, probably Halak. That'll open some space up. I still think Halak + Perron for somebody makes sense. If we were to do that, the person we get in return would counteract that a great deal, but maybe not entirely.

plug in reasonable numbers for Petro, Stewie and Allen and the payroll is around $62m -$63 M.

search for offense more likely to be through a deal than a signing.

Consider this: Why have we signed others and not Stewart and Pie, both of whom have done more and been more important to us than anyone else signed so far saved Shattenkirk? Anyone here with brain one, and that's all of us, would have signed Pie first. Did we?

Why not? Well....

I have a bad feeling we'll make our move by moving them. Allen isn't going to cost us much and Halak is an injury case. No one is going to pay for him or give more than what we just signed in a trade. Set his numbers aside for a moment and consider: Would YOU take a chance on a injury case?

Exactly. So what do we have left of value to give for what we need?

Stewart and Pie. Those two plus maybe Perron or mayyyybe Halak and suddenly you got an Elite coming back to the Note.

plug in reasonable numbers for Petro, Stewie and Allen and the payroll is around $62m -$63 M.

search for offense more likely to be through a deal than a signing.

Consider this: Why have we signed others and not Stewart and Pie, both of whom have done more and been more important to us than anyone else signed so far saved Shattenkirk? Anyone here with brain one, and that's all of us, would have signed Pie first. Did we?

Why not? Well....

I have a bad feeling we'll make our move by moving them. Allen isn't going to cost us much and Halak is an injury case. No one is going to pay for him or give more than what we just signed in a trade. Set his numbers aside for a moment and consider: Would YOU take a chance on a injury case?

Exactly. So what do we have left of value to give for what we need?

Stewart and Pie. Those two plus maybe Perron or mayyyybe Halak and suddenly you got an Elite coming back to the Note.

It could also be the fact that, according to some things JR has said, the Blues and Petro are far apart on the money. Petro's camp is seeking near 7 mil per, the Blues are reluctant to go over 6. Meanwhile, it's been suggested that Stew and the Blues may end up in arbitration. So yes, I think we'd all have signed Petro first, but I think you are forgetting that fact that his and Stew's negotiations are probably going to be the toughest of them all. That's what you fail to mention.

“I think we’re going to be able to get everyone under the umbrella,” Armstrong said, “and if need be, we have very valuable pieces — if we have to move players, that’s not going to be an issue finding a home for them.”

Don't see how $8 M of cap space will cover Petro and Stewart (let alone Allen).